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THE national committee for implementing and spreading the knowledge of international humanitarian law held its inaugural meeting at Sir Buri Kidu House, Port Moresby yesterday.

The national humanitarian law committee (NHLC) was established in 2016 and chaired by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General.

NHLC chairman Dr Lawrence Kalinoe said PNG subscribes to some of the international obligations which required it to follow international humanitarian rules when in disasters and conflict situations.

“But for us, PNG pressing issues are when we start sending our missions abroad, we must sort out the issues of those jurisdictions and forums in terms of any possible liabilities that may rise from the presence of soldiers on those peacekeeping missions abroad,” Dr Kalinoe said.

He said that up to now PNG was not a member and a party to the Rome Statute which established the international criminal court of justice in 1998 and entered into force in 2002.

“That is a serious matter for us so we have to sort these things out before we engage in these international obligations, but that’s just one example.

There are other issues, other matters that we will work through, plan and program to address them and become clear after that,” he said.

International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) advocate member to the committee with other government departments such as the DJAG, Defense, Police, Education, Community Development, Youth and Religion, Foreign, Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs, especially disaster offices.

ICRC regional legal adviser Netta Goussac said ICRC was pleased to be present for the inaugural meeting and a very important day for PNG is taking just one more step in honouring its commitment in international humanitarian law which is the body of rules that protect people that are affected by arm conflict.

“The ICRC works with international humanitarian war committees around the world and we are pleased that PNG has joined the rank, the ranks of countries who have taken this important step rebidding and overseeing their government actions in order to implement IHL and make is a reality on the ground here in PNG.”

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DONALD Trump’s and Vladimir Putin’s friendship has extended to the battlefield, with the US and Russia reportedly joining forces in the fight against Islamic State.

The Russian army said today it had carried out joint attacks with America on Islamic State targets in Syria.

The commander of the Russian air force contingent in Syria “received from the American side … the coordinates of IS targets in Al-Bab, in the province of Aleppo,” Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement. “Two Russian air force planes and two planes of the (US-led) international coalition carried out air strikes against terrorist sites,” destroying arms and fuel dumps in the “joint operation”, the ministry said.

The US defence department denied the Russian claim but Mr Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters in Washington that the new US president is open to conducting joint operations with Russia to combat the Islamic State group in Syria.

“If there’s a way we can combat ISIS with any country, whether it’s Russia or anyone else, and we have a shared national interest in that, sure, we’ll take it,” Spicer told reporters. Russia and the US have been involved in Syria for a time but have mostly fought on opposite sides of the conflict.

Damascus is a key Moscow ally, while the US has supported a coalition of rebel fighters. President Trump has been open about his intention to improve relations with Russia and has pledged to destroy ISIS.

The news of co-operation between the Cold War foes came as Iraqi forces captured all of eastern Mosul, dislodging Islamic State militants from the last pocket they held east of Tigris river, the defence ministry said overnight. Mosul is Islamic State’s last major city stronghold in Iraq.

“The armed forces succeeded in liberating the left bank of the city of Mosul completely, after inflicting heavy losses in lives and equipment to the enemy,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Mopping up operations were underway to clear a remaining pocket inside Rashidiya, a northeastern suburb of Mosul, said military spokesman Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool in a statement.